“Don’t worry, since I said I wouldn’t tell, I definitely won’t.” Charles Morgan said firmly, “You’d better run quickly, don’t get caught by anyone, and get ready for my next challenge.”

“Well then, goodbye.” Edward Thompson slung the giant sword over his shoulder and waved his hand.

“Put away your giant sword! It’s really ugly, seriously.” Charles Morgan shouted one last time.

As he approached the mouth of the valley, Edward Thompson had already put the giant sword back into his pocket. Along the way, he passed the time by reading a large number of carrier pigeon messages.

All the messages were from people interested in the sword he had stolen—some offered martial arts manuals in exchange, some offered top-tier weapons, and some even promised real cash... Edward Thompson truly admired the boldness of these crazy Wudang heroes and was amazed all the way.

No price could tempt him. A manual, a weapon, or a fortune could all make him powerful, but unfortunately, none of these were the purpose of Edward Thompson’s game. He simply liked this world, so he enjoyed it, paying attention to every detail and process of the game. Becoming stronger or weaker was just something that happened along the way, never his main concern or goal.

The closer he got to the valley entrance, the more cautious Edward Thompson became. With his rich quest experience and understanding of the game’s mechanics, he knew that the NPC disciples guarding the Sword Pool couldn’t provide players with many clues. That’s because a crucial part of his sword theft—dying and reviving—was purely an online game feature, not something that fit real-world logic. To make the world feel real, the game’s NPCs would use a logical explanation to replace such immersion-breaking game mechanics. All they could say was that Edward Thompson, as the sword-taker, approached the Sword Pool and then snatched the hero’s sword.

Even so, players’ intelligence couldn’t be underestimated. Like that Charles Morgan, who found a clue and waited at the bottom of the valley to ambush him. Luckily, only one person had figured this out; if a few more experts had come, Edward Thompson wouldn’t have been so confident.

The further he walked toward the valley entrance, the gentler the steep peaks on both sides became. When he reached a slope that could be climbed, Edward Thompson stopped moving forward and started up the hillside, planning to leave by climbing over the mountain. But after only a few steps, he had to stop helplessly.

On Wudang Mountain, wherever you could set foot, there were Wudang disciples—this was no exaggeration now.

When the game first launched, the flood of new players almost overwhelmed the Wudang Sect’s entrance, a grand spectacle at the time.

Today, the entrance didn’t look as crowded, only because all the players had spread out across the entire Wudang Mountain. If they all gathered in one place, it would be even more packed than before.

The theft of the Wudang Sect’s Sword Pool was a huge event, sure to bring great rewards. If anyone could help Wudang resolve this crisis of trust, players believed that, whether or not they were Wudang disciples, they would definitely receive the sect’s gratitude.

So, those flocking to Wudang Mountain now weren’t just Wudang players. Players from other sects and factions, upon hearing the news, also rushed to Wudang Mountain to try their luck. But these non-Wudang disciples were stopped at the foot of the mountain.

Wudang had closed the mountain; non-disciples were forbidden to enter. Even the game’s setting that allowed new players to join Wudang was temporarily suspended.

Guarding the mountain gate was none other than one of the personal disciples of the sect leader, the number one martial artist in the world, Master Zi He—Ethan Brooks. Any player with some knowledge of the martial world would recognize him.

Master Zi He had six personal disciples. Ethan Brooks was the sixth, the youngest, looking just over twenty, but the official character card described him as a genius among geniuses, said to have a photographic memory for martial arts. His strength rating was even marked with a question mark, making him seem unfathomable.

With such an expert guarding the place, would anyone still dare to try their luck?

Of course.

It’s just a game! You can revive after dying! Everyone still had the courage to take a risk. From the start, players kept trying all sorts of ways to sneak into Wudang Mountain, but by now, everyone had quieted down.

In a corner by the mountain gate, there was a pile of players stacked in all sorts of strange poses—all those who had tried to break in and ended up being subdued by Wudang disciples. Among them were some of the most famous experts in the player community, now serving as living warning signs for Wudang.

Many experts couldn’t bear the embarrassment and logged off to avoid it. But little did they know, even though they left the game, the system, for the sake of realism, left their avatars behind. They were gone, but their shame remained. Any player with thoughts of sneaking into Wudang would see this and turn pale.

But seeing that no one could get in, everyone felt a bit better and started pointing and laughing at those embarrassed guys.

David Harris had invited a few classmates to help, but none of them were Wudang disciples, so they were stopped at the gate. Seeing those experts turned into models of disgrace, none of them dared to act rashly and sent David Harris a carrier pigeon message.